According to a source who attended the meeting, the College Board President clearly intended the decision as a signal to Thames to follow proper procedure and refrain from further arbitrary actions or posturing in front of the media. Whether this will have any effect on an administrator with a proven record of ignoring stop signs remains to be seen.

The hearings are supposed to take place between April 5 and April 9. Even if they are delayed, we’ll know soon enough whether the College Board was being prudent—or merely temporizing. Stay tuned.